Sorry to contradict you.BTW, the Basque are a people not a country, although there is a movement...
"We're all living in Amerika, Amerika Amerika....We're all living in Amerika....it's wunderbar, Amerika..."The short form in German is often just "Amerika".
Now I hope nobody is insulted or offended by the use of the k instead of the c.
Um, no. While it's called Basque Country it is:Sorry to contradict you.
But the Basque Country is an autonomous region in Spain.
Not an independent state - but a country.
I have been there several times.
I know all those details.While it's called Basque Country it is:
Basque Country, French Pays Basque, cultural region within the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, extreme southwestern France, bordering the western Pyrenees Mountains where they adjoin the Basque provincias of Spain, along the Bay of Biscay.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Basque-Country-region-France
I understand.I do envy you for having been there.
You are absolutely right!Of course, it is NOT "impolite."
In fact, it may actually be impolite or even offensive to use the word that the people in the target language use.
For example, I think (maybe an expert can correct me if I am mistaken), the Japanese people refer to their country as "Nippon."
But if an American were to say, "The Olympics start next month in Nippon," that might be considered to be sarcastic or offensive or even belittling.
So I would stick with "Japan."
Good point!Of course, it is NOT "impolite."
In fact, it may actually be impolite or even offensive to use the word that the people in the target language use.
For example, I think (maybe an expert can correct me if I am mistaken), the Japanese people refer to their country as "Nippon."
But if an American were to say, "The Olympics start next month in Nippon," that might be considered to be sarcastic or offensive or even belittling.
So I would stick with "Japan."
Maybe conceited?But again and again one can read comments that go like this:
"For me it is a point of honour and politeness to call every country and every people by exactly the same name that it calls itself."
Now what would you answer those people, who are so proud of themselves and convinced of their own goodness?
Maybe all 3 of those reasons!Maybe conceited?
Maybe someone who wants to show off his/her knowledge of foreign languages?
Maybe someone who wants to make a fool of him-. herself?
As a 4th possibility I might add:Maybe conceited?
Maybe someone who wants to show off his/her knowledge of foreign languages?
Maybe someone who wants to make a fool of him-, herself?
"Cuidados de Estados Unidos."Mexicans call us Americans "Cuidados de Estados Unidos."
But they eventually give up and call us Americanos. Or "gringos."
Often you hear "Norte Americanos," but that would include Canadians which apparently Mexicans ignore.
.
Mexicans call us Americans "Cuidados de Estados Unidos.
"Cuidados de Estados Unidos."
Hunh?
A similar question came up when I was just married. My husband's field was classics and etymology. We were discussing the names of cities. He pointed out that cities like the one where he was born, have names in many different languages because they had longstanding, historic importance in trade. Genova, Italy is Genoa in English and Gênes in French. Not every Italian city has a name change as languages change.It’s not an unreasonable question: why don’t we call Germany Deutschland? It’s not as if Germans are aliens and our tongues can’t replicate the sounds that form their names.
The one benefit of there being different names is I get to annoy my friends by calling it "Firenze" instead of "Florence." If not for that I would need to find something else to make me sound smart.A similar question came up when I was just married. My husband's field was classics and etymology. We were discussing the names of cities. He pointed out that cities like the one where he was born, have names in many different languages because they had longstanding, historic importance in trade. Genova, Italy is Genoa in English and Gênes in French. Not every Italian city has a name change as languages change.
I am guessing that one element in the use of a country's name in a language is that country's historical importance.
Fine topic!A similar question came up when I was just married. My husband's field was classics and etymology. We were discussing the names of cities. He pointed out that cities like the one where he was born, have names in many different languages because they had longstanding, historic importance in trade. Genova, Italy is Genoa in English and Gênes in French. Not every Italian city has a name change as languages change.
I am guessing that one element in the use of a country's name in a language is that country's historical importance.
We Germans call the Americans thus: "Amerikaner".
Which is also the name of a fine round baked sweet.
And btw: There are white and black Amerikaner, and they are both quite tasty!
Same here!So? Frankfurters, wieners, and hamburgers are names of some pretty tasty foods here!
Amerikaner is a cake-like cookie commonly featured in German bakeries for after school snacks. Vanilla flavored with icing on the bottom of the cookie and served upside-down, the history of Amerikanern in Germany is an interesting one.
There are two theories of how they came to be named Amerikaner. Either they were brought to Germany by the GIs after the war, or they were named Ammoniakaner for ammonium hydrogen carbonate, or "Hirschhornsalz", which was used as a leavening agent. This seems like a stretch to many people.
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